Northwestern University Athletics
Panko, Rabin Headline NU All-Big Ten Award Winners
5/10/2017 12:50:00 PM | Softball
COMPLETE ALL-BIG TEN TEAMS
EVANSTON, Ill. – Three Wildcats have earned 2017 All-Big Ten honors as voted on by the conference coaches, the league office announced Wednesday.
Juniors Sabrina Rabin and Marissa Panko were chosen for the All-Big Ten second team, while senior Alcy Bush is the All-Big Ten Defensive Team selection at first base.
At least three Wildcats have earned All-Big Ten distinction dating to 2002, which is the first season of the Kate Drohan and Caryl Drohan era.
Rabin, the conference Rookie of the Year in 2015, now is a three-time All-Big Ten honoree. She was a first-team choice in her first season before also winning second-team accolades in 2016.
This year, Rabin turned in another solid campaign, once again leading the Big Ten in stolen bases with 12 in conference play. She also ranked fifth in the B1G in runs scored, averaging more than one run per game while batting .333. Defensively, Rabin robbed a pair of home runs in a series against No. 22 Wisconsin, using her speed to be an all-around terror in the conference.
Panko tore up Big Ten opponents to earn her first All-B1G award. She led the Wildcats with a .379 average in conference games while reaching base at a .457 clip. She swiped six bases, good enough for sixth-most in the league. Panko also played a strong shortstop for the Wildcats, making several spectacular plays deep in the hole to save runs.
NU senior Bush has had her All-Defensive Team nod coming for a while. In addition to a .993 fielding percentage in conference games, Bush makes picks on adventurous throws look routine, and has the deepest stretch of any first baseman in the game. Her physical brand of defense has been a major success story for the Wildcats in recent years.
Alcy Bush covers plenty of ground for @NUSBcats.
— Northwestern On BTN (@NUOnBTN) May 3, 2017
This #BTNStandout x @AutoOwnersIns is proof. https://t.co/T0BSxQ4Rbv
The Big Ten also announced its Sportsmanship Award winners Wednesday, with freshman Morgan Newport picking up the nod for the Wildcats. Newport has become a bullpen specialist for NU in her first season, earning a 7-6 record with three saves while making 21 of her 27 appearances in relief.
Northwestern opens the 2017 Big Ten Tournament at 10 a.m. CT/11 a.m. ET tomorrow, Thursday, May 11, against Purdue at Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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